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ON  THE  OCCASION  OF  THE  TWO  HUNDREDTH  ANNIVERSARY 
OF  THE  INCORPORATION  OF  THE  TOWN  AND  OF  THE  OR- 
GANIZATION    OF     THE     FIRST     CONGREGATIONAL     CHURCH 


BICENTENNIAL   POEM 

BY 

RUTH  AMELIA  HIGGINS 


F 


HISTORIC  SKETCH 
COVENTRY,   CONNECTICUT 

PREPARED    BY 

MAUDE  GRIDLEY  PETERSON 


OFFICIAL  PROGRAM 

OLD  HOME  WEEK 

BICENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

AUGUST  25-31,  1912 


^"H&f 


JESSE   ROOT. 

Photograph  from  the  painting  of  Jesse  Root  by  Wheeler,  now  in  the  State 
Library,  Hartford.  Jesse  Root  was  born  in  Coventry  December  28th, 
1736,  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Continental  Congress  1778-83,  and 
Chief  Justice  of  Connecticut  1796-1807. 


PREFACE 

On  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  two  hundred  years  of  the 
existence  of  Coventry,  Conn.,  it  has  seemed  fitting  to  look  back 
along  the  years  and  trace  some  of  the  steps  in  its  development. 

An  attempt  has  been  made  to  sketch  from  the  early  colonial  and 
..town  records  and  other  sources  an  account  of  the  beginnings  of  the 
town.  The  advance  during  that  time  of  its  institutions  and  its 
industrial  life  is  traced.  Its  share  in  the  affairs  of  colony  and 
nation  is  briefly  touched  upon  and  abbreviated  accounts  of  some 
of  Coventry's  prominent  men  are  added.  Circumstances  have 
allowed  the  author  but  a  week  in  which  to  classify  and  compile 
material  for  the  pamphlet.  An  especial  attempt  for  accuracy  has 
been  made,  that  the  material  may  be  of  an  authoritative  nature. 
The  limited  time,  however,  makes  many  omissions  of  important 
matter  probable.  The  accomplishment  of  the  task  allotted  would 
have  been  impossible  but  for  the  helpful  co-operation  of  my  hus- 
band, Arthur  Everett  Peterson,  and  the  valued  assistance  of  many 
others.  Dr.  Wm.  L.  Higgins,  President  of  the  Town  Committee, 
has  been  untiring  in  his  aid.  Mr.  Curtis  Dean,  Secretary  and  His- 
torian, has  shared  with  me  valuable  material.  Mr.  Addison  Kings- 
bury contributed  the  list  of  present  day  manufacturers.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Albert  Woodworth  have,  from  their  extended  memories  of  the 
older  people  and  places,  been  most  helpful.  Among  others  who 
have  contributed  from  their  store  of  knowledge  are  various  mem- 
bers of  the  Hilltop  Home  Club,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  M.  Wood,  Mr. 
Patrick  O'Brien,  and  Mr.  Henry  F.  Parker. 

To  the  State  Librarian  in  Hartford  I  would  offer  sincere  thanks 
for  every  possible  courtesy  and  help  in  the  use  of  the  valuable 
manuscripts  and  texts  preserved  there.  During  Old  Home  Week, 
and  even  later,  the  Librarian  will  have  on  exhibition  in  Memorial 
Hall  at  the  State  Library  Building,  manuscripts  connected  with  the 
early  days  in  Coventry.  Any  interested  may  inspect  them  there  at 
will.  Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  Connecticut  Historical  Librarian 
and  to  Prank  D.  Andrews  of  the  Historical  Library  in  Vineland, 
N".  J.,  for  further  aid.  The  latter  furnished  the  engraving  for  the 
print  of  Lorenzo  Dow  and  the  sketch  of  his  life  which  accom- 
panies it. 

3 


HISTORIC  SKETCH 

MAUDE  GRIDLEY  PETERSON 

Incorporation  of  Town  of  Coventry 


(Brand  Mark) 

CTOBEB  11,  1711,  two  hundred  and  one  years 
ago,  the  legislative  body  of  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut incorporated  and  named  the  town  of 
Coventry.  In  this  act  provision  was  also  made 
for  procuring  and  settling  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
:=3  in  the  best  way  and  as  soon  as  possible.  A  brand 
mark,  as  above,  was  fixed  as  the  distinguishing  mark  for  Coventry 
horses. 

The  Name  Coventry 

Comparison  of  a  map  of  England  and  one  of  New  England 
shows  an  interesting  similarity  of  names  of  places.  "Coventry"  is 
on  both  maps  and  we  are  surrounded  by  places  bearing  the  names 
of  those  across  the  sea.  Among  those  in  the  immediate  locality  are 
Andover,  Bolton,  Mansfield,  Ashford,  Canterbury,  Hampton,  Staf- 
ford, Enfield,  Colchester,  Woodstock,  Norwich,  and  New  London. 

The  following  act  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly,  1658,  in  con- 
nection with  the  naming  of  New  London  so  well  illustrates  the  cus- 
tom of  early  nomenclature  that  it  is  quoted  here : 

"Whereas  it  hath  been  the  commendable  practice  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  all  the  colonies  of  these  parts,  that  as  this  country  hath  its 
denomination  from  our  dear  native  country  of  England,  and  thence 
is  called  New  England,  so  that  planters,  in  their  first  settling  of 
most  new  plantations,  have  given  names  to  those  plantations  of 
some  cities  and  towns  in  England,  thereby  intending  to  keep  up, 
and  leave  to  posterity  the  memorial  of  several  places  of  note  there, 
as  Boston,  Hartford,  Windsor,  York,  Ipswich,  Bralntree,  Exeter: 
this  court  considering,  that  there  hath  yet  no  place  in  any  of  the 
colonies,  been  named  in  memory  of  the  city  of  London,  there  being 
a  new  plantation  within  this  jurisdiction  of  Connecticut,  settled 
upon  that  fair  river  Mohegan,  in  the  Pequot  country,  being  an  ex- 
cellent harbor  and  a  fit  and  convenient  place  for  future  trade,  it 
being  also  the  only  place  which  the  English  in  these  parts  have 
possessed  by  conquest,  and  that  upon  a  very  just  war,  upon  that 
great  and  warlike  people,  the  Pequots,  that  therefore  they  might 


thereby  leave  to  posterity  the  memory  of  that  renowned  city  of 
London,  from  whence  we  had  our  transportation,  have  thought  fit, 
in  honor  to  that  famous  city,  to  call  the  said,  plantation  New 
London." 

The  name  of  the  river  Mohegan  was  also  changed  to  Thames. 

Old  Coventry,  founded  it  is  said,  in  the  eleventh  century,  is 
situated  on  an  eminence  in  a  valley,  while  to  the  south  stretches  a 
ridge  of  hills.  From  our  own  hilltops  the  bounding  ridges  of  hills 
may  be  seen  in  all  directions.  It  is  thought  that  a  similarity  of 
landscape  may  have  suggested  the  name  for  our  town.  An  invita- 
tion from  Coventry,  New  England,  has  gone  over  the  Atlantic 
to  Coventry,  Old  England,  to  participate  in  some  way  in  the  cele- 
bration which  its  namesake  is  enjoying  at  this  time. 

Aboriginal  Inhabitants 

The  furrowing  plow  occasionally  reveals  traces  of  inhabitants 
previous  to  the  time  when  the  Coventry  of  now  became  Coventry. 
About  Lake  Wamgumbaug,  along  the  banks  of  the  Willimantic 
Eiver,  and  sometimes  in  scattered  places  over  the  hills,  the  upturned 
Indian  arrow-heads  are  mute  witnesses  of  the  one  time  presence 
of  the  red  man.     Tradition  says  that  the  Indians  used  the  land 


A  view  of  Lake  Wamgumbaug,   taken  from  Nathan  Hale   Cemetery. 

5 


hereabouts  as  a  hunting  ground,  which  they  kept  burned  over  to 
furnish  good  pasturage  for  game.  With  water  supply  in  lake  and 
river  and  good  feeding  ground,  we  can  fancy  the  herds  of  deer 
grazing  about  then  as  they  do  now.  Indeed,  years  of  protec- 
tion may  mean  that  they  are  even  more  plentiful  now  than  then. 
As  many  as  fifteen  have  been  seen  together  at  a  time  and  the  gar- 
dens and  crops  sometimes  suffer  from  their  depredations.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  as  early  as  1718  attempt  was  made  to  pro- 
tect by  law  deer  during  the  breeding  season. 

The  burned-over  grounds  must  have  simplified  for  the  early 
settlers  the  problem  of  clearing  the  land  and  made  transportation 
in  the  vicinity  much  easier.  It  is  said  that  at  this  time  an  ox-cart 
could  be  driven  over  most  of  the  young  timber  growth  which  had 
started  since  the  lands  came  into  the  hands  of  the  white  men  and 
the  yearly  fires  of  the  Indians  had  ceased. 

The  Mohegan  Indians,  a  friendly  tribe,  held  much  land  in  this 
section  and  the  white  men's  title  to  it  was  received  by  will  from 
.Joshua,  sachem,  the  third  son  of  Uncas.  Eecords  of  the  will  are 
in  the  State  Library  at  Hartford.  It  includes  several  legacies  to 
different  groups  of  men.  Parts  of  Coventry  seemed  to  be  disputed 
territory  between  two  of  these  groups,  which  was  responsible  for 
early  difficulties  over  land  titles. 

Joshua  made  careful  provisions  for  his  children  as  regards 
property  and  their  upbringing.  "Further  my  Will  is  that  my  Chil- 
dren be  brought  up  the  first  four  years  with  Trusty  and  their 
mother  to  teach  them  English  *  *  *  and  that  the  expiration  of  the 
said  four  Years  I  desire  that  my  Children  may  be  kept  at  the  Eng 
lish  Schoole."  He  wishes  them  kept  apart  from  the  "Connecticott" 
Indians.  He  asks  to  be  buried  at  "Seybrook  in  a  Coffin  after  the 
English  manner"  and  disposes  of  personal  treasures,  giving  his 
Guns  to  his  two  Sons,  four  to  each  of  them,  his  Pistoll  to  his  eldest 
son,  and  his  seven  Brass  kettles  and  four  iron  pots  to  be  equally 
divided  to  his  three  children. 

Surveys  and  Settlements 

About  1706,  Wm.  Pitkin,  Maj.  Joseph  Talcott,  Wm.  Whiting 
and  Eichard  Lord  were  appointed  a  committee  to  manage  the  lands 
of  the  legatees  so  as  to  promote  their  growth.    Nathaniel  Eust,  who 


had  settled  on  land  here,  was  later  added  to  the  committee.  In  the 
earliest  volume  of  Town  Eecords  in  Coventry  is  a  map  as  shown  on 
folder  facing  page  1.  The  survey  was  made  in  March,  1708,  with 
the  lands  set  off  in  allotments  and  highways  planned.  Three  reser- 
vation allotments  were  set  off  for  use  of  church  and  school.  On  this 
map  is  noted  the  house  and  lot  of  one  Samuel  Burchard,  abutting 
on  the  southwest  shore  of  the  "Big  Pond."  The  value  of  the  water 
power  from  the  outlet  of  the  lake  for  the  location  of  a  grist-mill 
was  even  then  forecasted  in  the  naming  of  the  stream  "Mill  Brook." 
The  volume  of  town  records  previously  mentioned  has  an  inter- 
esting list  of  the  allotments  drawn  by  Joshua's  legatees : 

To  Mr.  Samuel  Willis  15-20-42-51-64 

To  Coll  John  Talcott's  heirs  7-25-45-59-72 

To  Mr.  James  Richards  &  his  heirs  6-18-41-47-66 

To  Coll.  John  Allin  his  heirs  12-16-38-56-74 

To  Mr.  William  Pitkin's  heirs  10-27-43-60-61 

To  Mr.  Richard  Lord's  heirs  8-17-34-54-65 

To  Nathaniel  Willit's  heirs  14-21-44-57-70 

To  Thos  Burnham's  heirs  4-22-31-46-63 

To  Cap*  jos  Pitch  asigns  3-28-40-52-73 

To  Cap*  Nicholas  Olmstead  11-26-32-55-62 

To  Cap1  Thomas  Bull's  heirs  5-23-33-49-67 

To  Barth  Barnard's  heirs  1-24-37-53-69 

To  Mr.  John  Hains  his  heirs  13-19-36-50-75 

To  Mr.  Hinyry  Howard— heirs  9-29-39-48-71 

To  Mr.  Eleazor  Ways  heirs  2-30-35-58-68 

Settlers  for  some  of  these  various  allotments  were  later  sought. 

The  term  settlers  is  such  a  substantial  one  and  prophetic  of 
progress.  For  many  hundreds  of  years  the  Indians  had  doubtless 
roamed  these  hills  and  dales,  but  with  no  appreciable  sign  of  ad- 
vancement. The  white  man  settled  and  the  era  of  advancing  civili- 
zation in  Coventry  started  and  has  gone  on  with  the  intervening 
years,  as  the  results  of  to-day  show. 

Copies  of  the  following  documents  in  possession  of  the  State 
Library  in  Hartford  give  hints  of  the  condition  of  the  country  here 
from  1700  to  1709  or  1710: 


COPY  OF  DOCUMENT  IN  CONNECTICUT  STATE  LIBRARY 

(Towns  and  Lands,  Vol.  5,  P.  29) 

Testimony.  Benjamin  Howard  of  full  age  Testify eth  that  about 
14  years  ago  I  lived  at  Wungumbaug  now  Coventry  and  I  was 
Setled  there  by  the  proprietors  of  said  Land  Given  by  Joshua  In- 
dian Sachem  Viz.  by  Mr  William  Pitkin,  Col.  Whiting  and  the  rest 
of  the  Committee  Improved  by  the  proprieto1"  and  that  Sam1  Birch- 
ard  with  his  family  lived  there  at  the  Same  Time  and  I  often  heard 
him  Say  upon  the  Same  Bight,  the  wife  of  Benja  Howard  Testify- 
eth  unto  the  above  written.  Sworn  in  Court,  Auguft  17th,  1714. 
A  True  Copy  on  file  Test  Hez  Wyllys  Clerk. 

COPY  OF  DOCUMENT  IN  CONNECTICUT  STATE  LIBRARY 

(Towns  and  Lands,  V.  29) 

The  Testimony  of  John  Meakins  and  Samuel  Meakins  both  of 
Lawfull  age — Testify  and  say,  that  four  or  five  Years  ago  at  the 
Least :  Last  Michaelmas,  Wee  being  out  in  the  Wilderness,  Looking- 
for  horfes,  Took  up  our  Lodging  at  a  houfe  in  the  Wilderness  on 
the  Southward  Side  of  a  Pond  now  called  Coventry  Pond,  which 
houfe  went  by  the  name  of  Birchard's  houfe  and  went  Bound  sd 
pond  and  Saw  no  houfe  there  at  that  time  besides  that  which  Wee 
Lay  in  and  having  Occafion  to  go  into  the  Wilderness  that  way  the 
Last  winter  was  two  years  since  &  Comming  to  the  above  sd  Pond 
or  place  now  Called  Coventry  and  We  Saw  on  both  Sides  of  the 
pond  houfes  built  and  Land  fenced  and  improved  which  land  was 
reputed  Joshua's  right  and  claimed  by  Mr  Bichards  and  Mr  Pitkin 
and  Sundry  other  Gentlemen  of  Hartford. 

Hartford  Aprill  17th,  1714— Sworn  in  Court  Aprill  17th,  1711. 
Test.  Hez  Wyllys  Clerk. 

A  True  Copy  on  file — Test  Hez.  Wyllys  Clerk. 

A  petition  presented  to  the  General  Court  in  1712  gives  the 
number  of  families  at  about  sixteen.  Trumbull  says  that  the  early 
families  came  principally  from  Hartford  and  Northampton,  Mass. 

About  1712  we  get  trace  of  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  pro- 
prietors to  increase  the  population  of  the  town.  The  wife  of  Bichard 
Lord,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  sends  a  petition  in  May,  1712, 
to  the  Assembly  that,  whereas  "the  proprietors  of  Said  Lands  have 
Agreed  to  Settle  about  Sixty  Families  in  the  town  your  memoralist 
should  settle  2  Allottments  for  the  encouragement  and  Settlement 


of  Said  Town  by  Which  the  Other  part  of  the  lands  My  lait  Hus- 
band was  Heir  to  will  be  more  valuable  for  His  children."  She 
therefore  asked  for  permission  to  sell  these  allotments,  which  was 
granted. 

That  the  struggle  for  existence  still  continued,  however,  is  indi- 
cated in  a  petition  which  was  sent  to  the  Governor  and  General 
Court  in  May,  1717.  Here  the  "petitioners"  pray  that  they  may  be 
"releaved"  from  their  present  difficulties.  "Our  charges  to  main- 
tain the  worship  of  God  are  greate  and  heavy  by  the  reason  of  the 
smallness  of  our  numbers  and  wee  increas  very  sloly.  *  *  *  A  part 
of  our  Land  is  nott  settled  by  any  inhabitants  so  that  the  burden  is 
Like  to  bee  very  heavy  upon  us  unless  we  can  have  some  releas."  It 
is  at  this  same  time  that  the  settlers  ask  that  their  "neighbors  That 
Live  between  Coventry  south  line  and  Hop  Eiver  may  be  joyned 
to  our  Town."  It  was  not  until  1723  that  the  territory  asked  for 
and  known  as  the  Mile  and 
Quarter  was  resolved  annexed 
to  Coventry. 

Three  years  after  the  petition 
just  mentioned,  in  the  year 
1720,  Coventry  is  ordered  to 
send  their  list  to  the  Assembly 
as  other  towns  do  that  they  may 
bear  their  share  of  the  "Pub- 
lick"  charge.  Let  us  hope  they 
have  received  some  "  releas " 
from  their  previous  "heavy  bur- 
den" ere  this  is  added  unto  it. 

Development  of  Churches 

The  date  of  the  establishment 
of  the  first  church  is  uncertain. 
With  the   incorporation  of   the 

Gravestone  standing  in  Nathan  Hale 

town,    provision    Was    made    for  Cemetery  in  memory  of  Rev.  Jo- 

.  .    .  seph  Meacham,  first  pastor  of  the 

the    Securing    of    a    minister    as  First  Congregational  Church.    For 

.,  ,  the   reader's   convenience,    the   in- 

SOOn  as  possible.  scription  is  repeated  in  the   text. 


Pastor  Meacham  was  the  one 
obtained  and  had  one  of  the 
good  old  pastorates,  remaining 
with  his  people  until  he  died,  in 
1752,  nearly  forty  years.  He  is 
buried  in  Nathan  Hale  Ceme- 
tery and  his  virtues  are  recorded 
as  follows  on  the  stone  which 
marks  his  grave :  "The  Eev. 
Mr.  Joseph  Meacham  was  near 
40  years  ye  learned,  faithful  and 
painful  pastor  of  ye  church  in 
Coventry.  He  was  a  man  of 
God,  fervent  in  prayer,  zealous 
and  plain  in  preaching,  sincere 
in  reproving,  holy  and  prudent 
in  conversation;  a  kind  hus- 
band, tender  father,  sincere 
friend;  a  lover  of  Christ  and 
souls.  Tired  with  ye  labors  of 
ye  World,  his  ardent  soul  bent  its  flight  to  Jesus,  and  dropped 
ye  body  to  rest  here  till  Jesus  come.  Sept.  15th,  1752,  in  ye  67th 
year  of  his  age." 

His  wife,  Esther  Williams,  of  Deerfield,  daughter  of  Eev.  John 
Williams,  had  endured  many  hardships  of  pioneer  life  previous  to 
her  marriage.  When  but  12  years  of  age,  her  mother  and  the  baby 
were  murdered  by  Indians  and  the  remainder  of  the  family  were 
carried  captives  into  Canada  by  the  savages.  For  two  years  she 
lived  with  the  Indians.  What  tales  she  must  have  been  table  to  tell 
to  the  four  sons  and  six  daughters  who  blessed  her  married  life: 
They  were  the  grandparents  of  Eev.  Nathan  Strong,  of  Hartford, 
and  Eev.  Jos.  Strong,  of  Norwich.*  Several  other  descendants 
were  clergymen  and  one,  Eev.  G.  M.  S.  Perry,  a  missionary. 

The  growth  of  the  church  during  the  first  century  was  slow.    In 


Gravestone   of  Mrs.    Joseph   Meach- 
am, also  standing  in  Nathan 
Hale  Cemetery. 


♦Cole's  History  of  Tolland  County,  Conn. 

10 


1811  there  were  but  twenty-nine  members,  the  women  being  in  the 
majority — twenty-one  to  eight.  Soon  after  that,  a  series  of  re- 
vivals under  the  pastorate  of  Eev.  Channeey  Booth  added  nearly 
three  hundred  members  to  the  church. 

In  the  State  Library  at  Hartford  is  the  manuscript  petition 
from  which  the  following  statements  regarding  a  new  church  in 
1766  are  taken. 

The  Society  wanted  to  build  a  new  church  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  "Windham  County  Court  to  investigate  and  decide 


The  old  Congregational  Church  in  South  Coventry  that  formerly  stood  on 
High  Street  opposite  the  Green.     At  the  left  old  Academy  Build- 
ing familiar  to   the  childhood   of  the   older  residents. 


on  a  location.  The  decision  which  it  gave  was  not  favorably  re- 
ceived by  the  Society.  A  petition  was  sent  to  the  General  Court, 
asking  that  the  location  might  be  changed  up  near  the  school-house 
where  the  meeting-house  can  stand  more  commodious  and  "eligant." 

The  petition  was  granted,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  known 
whether  or  not  a  church  was  built  at  that  time. 

The  old  First  Church  shown  in  a  remodeled  form  in  the  cut 
was  in  South  Coventry  on  High  Street,  opposite  the  Green.  Within 
the  memory  of  present  residents  horse-sheds  stood  on  either  side  of 

11 


FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH,   SOUTH   COVENTRY. 
Erected  1849. 


12 


it  and  the  old  Academy  was  nearby.  Within,  were  high  box  pews 
in  the  main  part  of  the  church  and  in  the  galleries  which  extended 
around  three  sides  of  it.  These  were  later  taken  out  and  replaced 
by  more  modern  sittings.  The  old  church  is  now  gone,  having  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  parts  of  the  old  pews  are  still  in  existence. 
These  were  used  in  finishing  off  rooms  in  houses  on  Ripley  Hill  now 
owned  by  Eev.  Eobert  H.  Sherman  and  Mr.  Frank  B.  Topliff.  The 
bell  in  the  church  at  Mansfield  Center  is  the  old  bell  which 
called  to  worship  in  the  old  South  Coventry  Congregational 
Church.     The  posts  to  the  bell  tower  became  unsafe  and  the  bell 


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The  street  in  North  Coventry,  showing  at  the  left  the  church,   chapel  and 
Grange  Hall,   respectively. 

and  lumber  were  exchanged  for  shingling  the  church.  Town 
meeting  was  formerly  held  in  the  ground  floor  room  of  the  old 
church. 


North  Coventry  Church 

This  is  still  the  custom  in  the  North  Coventry  Church.  The 
North  Coventry  Parish  was  incorporated  in  October,  1740,  and  the 
Society  held  its  first  meeting  in  the  following  December.     Previ- 

13 


ously,  in  1737,  the  town  voted  to  raise  one  farthing  on  the  pound 
for  the  expense  of  a  minister  there,  who  was  to  preach  in  the  dwell- 
ing house  of  Noah  Bust.  In  1738,  arrangements  were  made  re- 
garding a  school  and  burial  ground. 

Five  years  of  trouble  within  the  Society,  from  1743-1718,  re- 
sulted in  the  setting  off  at  that  time  of  still  another  parish,  which 
was  called  Andover.  Mr.  Nathan  Strong  preached  as  a  candidate 
in  North  Coventry  in  1744  and  was  ordained  October  9th,  1745. 
This,  according  to  Cole,  was  soon  after  the  meeting-house  was  in 
condition  to  use.     This  first  meeting-house  was  the  cause  of  much 


The  Second  Congregational  Church,  North  Coventry,  erected  1847. 

trouble.  Two  surveys  were  made  to  determine  the  center  of  the 
parish  and  a  legislative  committee  chosen  to  locate  the  site.  It  was 
built  a  few  rods  west  of  the  present  church  and  was  forty-five  feet 
long  and  forty  broad.  It  was  ten  years  in  process  of  construction 
and  was  never  completed. 

The  church  records  show  that  bills  for  the  erection  of  the  church 
now  standing  had  been  paid  during  the  first  part  of  the  year  1848, 
which  would  seem  to  make  the  year  of  erection  1847.  Eev.  Hollis 
M.  Bartlett  is  the  present  pastor. 

14 


Village  Church 

In  1848  a  split  occurred  in  the  old  First  Church  in  South  Cov- 
entry. About  fifty  of  the  members  left  and  formed  a  new  society. 
Meetings  were  held  for  about  a  year  in  a  private  hall  before  the 
present  church,  known  at  that  time  as  the  Village  Church,  was 
ready.  The  older  members  of  the  First  Church  died  until  few  were 
left,  and  in  1866  the  two  societies  again  worshipped  together.  A 
permanent  union  of  the  two  under  the  name  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Coventry  was  effected  January  6th,  1869,  by  a 
council.  This  church  was  received  into  the  fellowship  of  neighbor- 
ing churches  March  11th  of  the  same  year.  Eev.  Nestor  Light  has 
been  pastor  of  the  church  for  thirteen  years. 


Methodist   Church,   erected   1867. 


Methodist  Church 

Although  Coventry  is  the  birthplace  of  Lorenzo  Dow,  one  of 
the  early  ministers  to  spread  the  doctrines  of  Methodism,  it  was 
not  until  1822  that  the  Methodist  Church  had  a  definite  start.  Mr. 
Gardner,  of  East  Hartford,  at  this  time  conducted  meetings  in  the 
South  Street  schoolhouse.    The  early  converts  were  immersed  in  the 

15 


lake.  The  new  movement  met  with  opposition  and  the  use  of  the 
schoolhouse  was  denied  them.  A  private  house  and  an  old  store  on 
South  Street  then  served  as  places  of  worship,  but  interest  waned, 
and  in  1827  not  even  an  organized  class  existed.  Two  years  after, 
meetings  were  again  held,  this  time  in  the  East  Street  school.  In 
1839,  when  it  was  again  attempted  to  forbid  them  the  use  of  the 
building,  effort  was  made  to  raise  money  for  a  church.  One  thousand 
two  hundred  and  six  dollars  and  ninety-one  cents  was  collected,  and 
with  this  a  chapel  was  built.  The  present  building  on  Main  Street 
in  South  Coventry  was  built  during  the  pastorate  of  Eev.  S.  S. 
Cummings.  The  old  church  was  later  used  as  a  temporary  church 
by  the  Catholics,  then  as  a  Methodist  parsonage ;  later  it  was  rented 
to  Father  Quinn  while  the  present  parochial  residence  was  being 
built.    It  is  now  used  as  a  dwelling. 

Eev.    Duncan    Dodd   is   the   present   pastor   of   the   Methodist 
Church. 

Catholic  Church 

The  Catholics  at  first  gathered  in  private  houses  for  worship. 
Father  McCabe  said  the  first  mass  in  Jeremiah  Crowley's  house, 


St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church,   erected  1877. 
16 


near  the  railroad  station.  This  house  is  now  occupied  by  Mr. 
Wright,  who  carries  the  mail  between  the  postoffice  and  the  trains. 
As  has  been  previously  noted,  the  old  Methodist  Church  was  used 
by  the  Catholics  for  service,  beginning  about  1863  and  continuing 
for  about  fourteen  years. 

On  Good  Friday,  1877,  ground  was  broken  for  the  foundations 
of  St.  Mary's  Church.  The  men  of  the  congregation  came  in  a 
body  to  help.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on  June  10th,  1877,  and 
the  work  of  building  was  so  expeditious  that  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated on  Thanksgiving  Day,  Nov.  29th,  1877.  The  building  was 
accomplished  under  the  guidance  of  Father  Shahan. 

After  many  years  of  mission  relationship,  South  Coventry  was 
honored  on  January  2d,  1886,  with  Eev.  J.  J.  Quinn  as  first  resi- 
dent pastor.  At  the  establishment  of  the  parish  about  eighty-five 
families  were  included.  During  Father  Quinn's  years  of  service  the 
present  parochial  residence  was  built. 

Land  for  a  cemetery  in  the  lower  part  of  town  was  blessed  Sun- 
day, August  26th,  1894.  Mrs.  Carr's  grave  was  the  first  one  in  the 
new  cemetery.    She  was  buried  September  19th. 

The  parish  includes  a  considerable  territory  outside  of  Coventry. 
There  are  two  outside  stations,  one  at  Eagleville  and  one  at  Hop 
Eiver.    Eev.  John  F.  Donahue  is  the  present  parish  priest. 

Schools 

In  the  early  allotments  of  land  three  were  reserved  for  the  sup- 
port of  church  and  school. 

The  first  school  records  were  made  in  1726,  as  follows: 

"That  ye  representatives  next  May  shall  lay  before  the  General 
Assembly  ye  sercomstances  of  ye  schooll  Lott  &  pray  for  Liberty  to 
dispos  of  it  for  ye  use  of  ye  school." 

September,  1728,  it  was  "Voted  that  they  would  build  a  school 
House"  and  that  "ye  school  house"  should  be  set  up  within  twenty 
rds.  of  the  meeting  house  and  should  be  18  ft.  w.  and  20  ft.  1. 
Peter  Buell,  Capt.  Samuel  Parker  and  Thomas  Porter  were  ap- 
pointed a  "Comety  to  carry  on  ye  Building  of  ye  school  House." 

17 


In  November  of  the  same  year  the  salary  of  the  schoolmaster  was 
fixed  at  not  more  than  eleven  pounds  for  the  winter  quarter. 

The  present  school  in  South  Coventry  village  was  built  in  1873. 
It  contains  three  departments.  Schools  are  kept  in  eight  other 
outlying  districts. 

In  the  early  days  the  minister  of  the  town  was  accustomed  to  fit 
for  college  the  few  youths  who  aspired  for  a  higher  education. 


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Old  Military  Training-  Ground,  looking  toward  the  Lake. 

Coventry  has  no  high  school,  but  sends  its  pupils  who  wish  high 
school  work  to  Willimantic,  Eockville,  or  some  other  nearby  sec- 
ondary school.    • 

In  the  fall  of  1911,  the  School  Board  .voted  to  ask  the  State  to 
grant  us  a  superintendent  of  schools.  In  January,  1912,  Mr. 
George  W.  Emerson  assumed  charge  in  that  capacity.  He  is  also 
in  charge  of  the  schools  in  Lebanon  and  Columbia. 

Training  Bands 

Almost  coincident  with  the  building  of  the  first  school,  in  1728, 
was  the  establishment  of  two  military  companies.     The  first  com- 

18 


pany  was  in  command  of  Samuel  Parker;  the  second,  in  charge  of 
John  Bissell. 

The  green  on  Monument  Hill  and  High  Street  was  used  as  a 
training  ground.    . 

Industrial  Development 

With  provision  made  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  settlement, 
for  the  education  of  the  children,  and  for  its  military  affairs,  the 
development  of  the  farming  opportunities  in  the  little  settlement 
went  on. 

Upon  each  farm,  both  outdoors  and  in,  were  carried  on  in  mini- 
ature many  of  the  various  industries  which  now  involve  immense 
machine-equipped  plants  scattered  broadcast  throughout  the  land. 
The  contrast  between  the  home  two  hundred  years  ago  and  the 
modern  home  is  almost  as  great  as  that  between  the  stage  coach 
and  the  aeroplane. 

What  would  Madam  Burchard,  Madam  Eust,  if  such  there  were, 
or  any  other  of  those  pioneer  dames  who  lived  in  their  rough  homes 
in  the  wilderness,  have  thought  if  they  could  have  stepped  to  the 
telephone  and  ordered  brought  to  their  door  bread,  pastry,  etc. ; 
butter  and  cheese;  hams,  bacon,  sausage  and  lard;  dried  beef, 
corned  beef  or  cuts  of  fresh  meat;  canned  vegetables  and  fruits; 
soap  and  candles;  to  say  nothing  of  fresh  fruits  from  many  lands, 
tea,  coffee,  spices  and  many  another  luxury  for  the  table  ? 

Not  so  was  it  indeed  in  the  days  two  hundred  years  ago.  Bread 
they  had,  to  be  sure,  but  only  after  the  rye  had  been  sown  in  pre- 
pared ground;  the  grain  harvested,  threshed,  winnowed  and 
ground;  and  the  bread  made,  kneaded  into  loaves  and  baked.  All 
these  processes,  except,  perhaps,  the  grinding,  had  to  be  performed 
by  some  one  of  the  family,  or  possibly  a  very  occasional  helping 
neighbor.  So  with  many  of  the  other  above  articles  of  food,  the 
processes  necessary  to  prepare  or  preserve  must  be  carried  on  at 
home.  In  those  days  the  yearly  or  semi-yearly  cheese  making, 
candle  and  soap  making  were  important  events. 

19 


What  was  true  of  food  was  true  also  as  regards  articles  of  cloth- 
ing. If  my  lady  needed  even  a  pair  of  stockings  think  of  the  labor 
involved  for  different  ones  of  the  family :  the  care  of  the  sheep,  the 
washing  and  shearing  of  the  wool,  the  carding,  spinning  into  yarn, 
reeling  into  skeins,  dyeing  and  finally  knitting.  For  most  other 
woolen  garments  weaving  took  the  place  of  knitting  and  then  the 
cloth  must  be  fulled,  cut  and  sewed  by  hand  into  the  article  re- 
quired. 

Now  it  is  possible  for  the  mother  to  step  into  an  automobile,  be 
whirled  away  to  an  adjoining  city,  and  secure  almost  any  desired 
garment  all  ready  to  wear. 

The  early  specialists  along  domestic  lines  were  the  dressmaker 
and  tailoress  and  the  cobbler  and  bootmaker,  who  went  from  home 
to  home  to  help  make  clothing  and  shoe  the  family,  often  number- 
ing more  than  a  dozen. 

Scattered  about,  especially  near  Mansfield,  one  occasionally  sees 
a  gnarled  old  mulberry  tree.  Some  attention  was  given  to  raising 
silkworms  in  Connecticut  as  early  as  1760.  The  industry  was  inter- 
fered with  during  the  Eevolutionary  War.  Later  it  was  revived, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  War  of  1812,  when  importation  of  raw  silk 
was  hindered,  Mansfield  furnished  raw  silk  for  coach  lace  to  a  man- 
ufacturer in  Newark,  N.  J.  This  was  said  to  be  superior  in  strength 
and  luster  to  the  best  imported  silk.* 

An  occupation  outside  the  regular  work  of  the  home  and  farm 
was  thus  opened.  Women  were  often  employed.  They  received 
the  munificent  sum  of  42  and  50  cents  per  week  and  board.  Calico 
dresses  were  at  that  time  a  luxury,  to  be  worn  only  to  church  or  on 
some  especial  occasion.  At  that  time  calico  cost  64  or  67  cents 
a  yard  and  girls  often  worked  an  entire  season  picking  the  mul- 
berry leaves  and  feeding  the  worms  to  get  a  printed  dress,  seven 
yards  for  $4.50,  which  was  not  homespun. 

From  now  on  the  change  in  the  industrial  life  was  rapid.  In 
June,  1712,  an  entry  in  the  town  records  says  that  a  committee  is 
appointed  to  arrange  for  the  establishment  of  a  town  mill  for 
grinding  the  settlers'  corn. 


*Hunt's  Merchant's  Magazine,  Vol.  II. 

20 


Arrangement  was  made  with  Jonathan  Hartshorn  in  1716  for 
building  and  maintaining  one.  Part  of  the  agreement  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"That  Jonathan  Hartshorn  for  and  in  the  consideration  of 
the  said  sixty  acres  of  land  secured  by  deed  unto  said  Hartshorn 
upon  consideration  of  his  full  compliance  for  himself,  his  heirs,  his 
executors,  administrators  and  assigns,  for  all  times,  forever,  here- 
after *  *  *  shall  at  his  and  their  own  proper  cost  and  charge  build 
and  erect  a  good  and  sufficient  grist  mill,  within  the  said  town  of 
Coventry,  on  the  brook  that  issueth  or  runneth  from  the  Great 
Pond,  near  the  meeting  house,  and  shall  also  keep  and  maintain 
the  said  grist  mill  in  the  said  place  forever  in  good  repair  so  that  it 
shall  be  sufficient  to  grind  all  the  corn  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
said  town  shall  at  all  times  hereafter  have  need  to  be  ground,  for 
their  use  making  as  good  meal  as  is  or  shall  be  generally  made  by 
other  mills  within  the  aforesaid  colony." 

The  old  mill  was  standing  during  the  memory  of  many  residents 
and  the  old  millstone  near  the  factory  of  T.  H.  Wood  Co.  now  marks 
the  spot. 

Thus  early  was  the  power  of  the  stream  issuing  from  the  Great 
Pond  utilized.  It  was  about  a  hundred  years  later  before  the  water 
power  began  to  be  applied  to  any  extent  to  manufactures. 

In  1816  John  Boynton  built  a  wool  carding  mill.  Here  the 
farmer's  wool  could  be  carded  into  rolls  ready  for  spinning  into 
yarn.  The  relief  from  hand  carding  left  the  families  with  so  much 
extra  time  that  they  employed  it  by  doing  extra  knitting  of  socks 
and  mittens  for  sale  in  ISTew  York  City.  It  is  said  that  farmers 
brought  their  wool  for  fifteen  miles  around  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  help  which  machine  work  gave. 

Mr.  Boynton  was  the  inventor  of  a  card  machine  which  was  in 
use  in  various  woolen  mills  at  that  time  and  had  a  machine  shop 
in  which  they  were  made.  Other  carding  machines  were  in  use 
in  the  town  about  this  time.  A  Gazeteer  of  Connecticut,  published 
for  the  years  1810-18,  gives  the  following  statistics:  The  manu- 
factures  and   mechanical   employments   exclusive   of   those    of   a 

21 


domestic  character  consist  of  one  cotton  factory,  two  paper  mills, 
one  glass  factory,  one  manufactory  of  carding  machines,  three  small 
distilleries,  five  tanneries,  three  grain  mills,  six  saw  mills  and  five 
carding  machines.    There  are  seven  mercantile  stores. 

Many  mills  were  burnt.  Some  of  the  business  enterprises  were 
failures.  The  following  articles  are  recorded  as  having  been  manu- 
factured in  Coventry :  cheap  wool  hats  for  the  slave  trade,  satinets, 
goods  with  a  cotton  warp  and  good  all  wool  filling,  cloth  dressing 
and  fulling  mill,  hooks  and  eyes,  gun  cartridges,  cotton  picker, 
cotton  yarn,  cotton  cloth,  cotton  batting  and  sewing  silk. 

In  Cole's  History  of  Tolland  County,  published  in  1888,  the 
following  manufacturers  are  mentioned  as  flourishing:  A.  Kings- 
bury &  Son's  paper  box  factory,  the  Phoenix  Metallic  Cartridge 
Co.,  A.  D.  Bottum's  sewing  silk,  C.  H.  Kenyon  &  Co.'s  woolen  mill, 
A.  Washburn  &  Son's  silk  mill,  T.  H.  Wood  silk  business,  J.  M. 
Wood,  woolen  goods. 

At  present,  in  1912,  the  list  is  as  follows :  The  T.  H.  Wood  Co., 
silk  throwsters  and  fish  lines ;  Eugene  A.  Tracy,  Inc.,  wool  extracts ; 
John  A.  Dady  Corp.,  silk  throwsters;  Kingsbury  Box  &  Printing 
Co.;  Wm.  F.  Wood  &  Son,  manufacturers  of  toric  lenses;  H.  K.  & 
W.  A.  Washburn,  silk  throwsters ;  Valley  Mills  Co.,  wool  extracts ; 
Wm.  H.  Armstrong,  wagons,  hubs,  spokes,  etc. ;  South  Coventry 
Paper  Co. 

Roads 

As  the  early  map  of  the  town  shows,  provision  for  highways 
within  the  settlement  was  made  in  the  early  surveys.  After  the 
coming  of  the  settlers  from  Northampton,  Windsor,  Hartford,  etc., 
there  must  have  been  the  broken  paths  of  their  making  if  similar 
trails  had  not  previously  existed. 

As  the  town  grew  and  there  was  surplus  farm  produce,  such  as 
beef  and  pork,  butter  and  cheese,  trade  is  said  to  have  been  carried 
on  with  Norwich  landing,  ox  teams  carrying  the  merchandise  to 
and  fro. 

Shipping  was  carried  on  at  that  time  between  Norwich  and  the 
West  Indies. 

22 


In  1769  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  General  Assembly  for  permis- 
sion to  shorten  the  route  between  Coventry  and  Hartford.  Later, 
pikes  were  established. 

In  1797  the  Boston  Turnpike  Co.  was  incorporated  for  estab- 
lishing and  keeping  in  repair  a  road  from  Hartford  through  East 
Hartford,  Bolton,  Coventry,  Mansfield,  Ashford,  Pomfret  and 
Thompson  to  the  Massachusetts  line.  Toll  gates  were  established 
along  the  road,  but  there  was  none  on  this  pike  in  Coventry. 

The  list  of  tolls  and  regulations  are,  however,  inserted  here : 

cts.  mis. 

Every  travelling  four  wheel  pleasure  carriage  &  horses  25-0 

"       chaise,  chair  &  sulky  12-5 

"       loaded  wagon  or  cart  12-5 

"       empty  do  or  cart  6-3 

"       single  horse  cart  6-3 

"       empty  horse  cart  4—0 

Horses,  cattle  &  mules  each  2-0 

Every  pleasure  sleigh  6-3 

Every  loaded  sled  or  sleigh  4-0 

"       empty    "     "       "  .4-0 

Man  &  horse  4-0 

Sheep  &  swine  each  1-0 

"Provided  always,  that  persons  travelling  -on  the  Lords  day  and 
other  days  to  attend  public  worship  where  they  ordinarily  attend : 
persons  travelling  to  attend  funerals :  farmers  passing  through  said 
gates  to  attend  their  ordinary  farming  business :  all  persons  living 
within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  either  of  said  gates,  and  not  passing 
said  gate  further  than  one  mile  and  a  half :  persons  going  to  mill 
on  horseback:  persons  travelling  to  attend  society,  town  and  free- 
man's meetings,  and  persons  obliged  by  law  to  perform  military 
duty,  travelling  to  attend  training,  shall  not  be  liable  to  the  pay- 
ment of  said  toll." 

The  present  pike  to  Hartford  was  built  in  1808  and  the  lilac- 
overgrown  cellar  where  the  toll  house  stood  may  be  seen  not  far 
from  the  house  now  occupied  by  J.  C.  Ayer.  An  elderly  friend, 
who  used  to  live  near  there,  has  told  me  how,  as  a  child,  she  de- 
lighted to  run  and  open  the  gate  for  the  passer-by. 

23 


Travel 

Travel  was  largely  on  horseback  during  the  early  history  of 
the  town.  Eichard  Hale,  writing  to  his  sons,  Nathan  and  Enoch, 
at  Yale,  tells  them  he  will  either  send  them  horses  for  their  home- 
coming or  have  them  procure  some  in  New  Haven. 

The  stage  coach  in  the  early  part  of  1800  was  the  next  step  in 
the  transportation  of  passengers.  Austin  Dunham,  who  was  born 
in  South  Coventry  in  1843  and  was  taken  soon  after  that  to  Hart- 
ford to  live,  used  as  a  boy  to  visit  his  great-aunt,  who  lived  in  the 
Jesse  Eoot  house  on  Eipley  Hill.     In  some  sketches  of  the  olden 


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-  -.; 

Main    Street   in    South    Coventry,   Methodist   Church    and   Postoffice   on    the 

right,    store    of   W.    L.    Wellwood    and    site    of    Booth- 

Dimock  Library  on  the  left. 


times  he  mentions  the  coach  trips  between  there  and  his  home  in 
Hartford.  As  I  write  I  can  see  from  my  window  the  old  house, 
with  the  pike  in  front,  and  can  almost  fancy  the  lumbering  old 
coach  with  its  four  horses  standing  there  with  its  occupants  laugh- 
ing when  the  farewells  are  made  and  great-aunt  hopes  Austin  will 
soon  come  again,  although  he  always  makes  her  twice  glad — glad 
when  he  comes  and  glad  when  he  goes.  We  present-day  residents 
have  had  a  taste  of  coaching.    Previous  to  the  time  of  the  trolley, 

24 


1909,  a  coach  with  two  horses  used  to  run  between  South  Coventry 
village  and  the  depot,  meeting  the  various  trains.  Now  that,  too,  is 
but  a  matter  of  history. 

Trains  on  the  present  Central  Vermont  road  commenced  run- 
ning about  1850.  The  road  was  then  known  as  the  New  London, 
Willimantic  and  Palmer. 

Taverns 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  town,  among  the  other  officers 
elected  for  the  year  1715,  Nathaniel  Eust  was  named  as  tavern 
keeper.    Thus  early  was  arrangement  made  for  the  traveling  public. 


Central  Vermont  Railroad  station,  showing  Mr. 

Robertson's   coach   that  antedated 

the  trolley. 

The  old-time  legal  requirement  for  a  tavern  was  a  spare  bed  and 
stable  room  for  two  horses. 

Someone  has  said  the  "Taverns  supplied  in  some  degree  the 
place  not  only  of  our  hotels  and  eating  houses,  but  of  clubs,  news- 
papers and  postoffice.  What  general  news  ever  reached  the  town 
was  circulated  by  the  nightly  gatherings  at  the  tavern." 

Some  of  the  older  taverns  of  Coventry  are  as  follows,  accord- 
ing to  statements  made  by  old  residents  of  the  town  for  Cole's 
book  in  1888 : 

The  oldest  one  remembered  was  at  the  house  or  location  of  Wm. 
Gardner  on  Ripley  Hill,  the  place  now  occupied  by  Albert  Baker. 
The  next  was  at  the  south  end  of  South  Street,  with  Novatus  Cush- 

25 


man  as  landlord.  The  main  road  from  Hartford  to  Windham  and 
Brooklyn  passed  there  at  that  time. 

The  old  tavern  on  the  Hartford  and  Boston  mail  stage  road  is 
now  known  as  the  Pollard  place,  near  the  "Willimantic  Biver. 

The  house  west  of  the  Jesse  Eoot  house,  now  occupied  by  George 
Freeman,  was  an  old  tavern.  The  old  sign  was  in  the  shape  of  a 
shield.  On  it  was  the  picture  of  a  man  with  a  bird  in  his  hand 
and  a  bush  with  a  bird  in  it,  accompanied  by  the  old  proverb,  "A 
bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the  bush."  "Boderick  Bose"  was 
the  name  upon  the  sign. 

After  the  Hartford  pike,  running  through  the  town,  was  opened, 
a  hotel  was  kept  just  below  Mr.  Kolli's  harness  shop  by  the  follow- 
ing landlords :  Azel  Edgerton,  Charles  Carpenter,  Mason  Dimock 
and  John  Bard.  John  Bose  had  a  hotel  at  the  present  Bose  place 
by  the  Green.  Boyal  Manning  succeeded  him.  At  his  death,  in 
1844,  the  hotel  was  discontinued.  One  was  kept  in  the  present 
Thomas  Wood  place,  opposite  the  Nathan  Hale  Monument,  by 
Martin  Lyman. 

The  present  Bidwell  House  was  opened  in  1822  by  Solomon 
Bidwell,  whose  son  and  grandson  succeeded  him. 

Mails 

The  early  mails  were  carried  on  horseback.  Cole  says,  Bezaleel 
Hutchison  was  mail  contractor  for  several  years,  with  the  compensa- 
tion of  $75  a  year.  The  average  mail  in  1820  was  only  about  two 
letters  a  clay.  Then  it  took  from  four  to  six  days  between  here  and 
New  York,  and  news  a  week  old  was  hailed  with  a  zest  similar  to 
ours  over  news  fresh  from  the  wire.  About  1826  the  mail  was  car- 
ried between  Hartford  and  Providence  by  stage.  At  first,  mails 
were  carried  but  three  times  a  week,  but  soon  daily  mails  were 
inaugurated.  Transportation  of  mails  was  made  by  steam  train 
about  1850. 

Post  Offices 

The  first  postoffice  is  said  to  have  been  opened  in  1810  at  a  house 
in  North  Coventry  at  the  top  of  the  hill  west  of  the  church.    Silas 

26 


Hubbard  was  first  postmaster.  The  first  office  in  South  Coventry 
was  ten  years  later,  in  the  house  opposite  the  Nathan  Hale  Monu- 
ment, with  Jeremiah  Parrish  as  postmaster.  The  postoffice  in 
North  Coventry  has  now  been  discontinued.  The  South  Coventry 
postoffice  is  in  the  drug  store  conducted  by  L.  M.  Phillips  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Mason  Streets.  The  territory  outside  the  vil- 
lage is  fairly  well  covered  by  rural  free  delivery  routes.  One  starts 
from  the  South  Coventry  office  and  two  from  the  office  in  Eock- 
ville,  while  a  wagon  from  South  Willington  covers  a  small  portion 
of  the  town,  as  does  also  one  from  Andover. 

War  Times 

Progress  in  Coventry,  as  throughout  the  country,  was  affected 
by  the  various  wars. 

French  and  Indian  War 

She  escaped  the  earlier  Indian  wars  before  the  time  Coventry 
was  settled,  but  participated  to  some  extent  in  the  French  and  In- 
dian War  in  1755,  as  shown  by  town  records,  a  few  of  which  fol- 
low: "Henry  "Woodward  of  Cov.  was  killed  by  the  Indians  *  *  * 
1756."  "Simon  Groves  died  at  Port  Edward  of  Small  pox  in  Oct. 
1657."  "Ebenezer  Eoot  died  of  fever  in  old  French  war  near  Lake 
George,  1758."  "Noah  Grant  joined  expedition  against  Crown 
Point  in  1755."  "Lieut.  Sol.  Grant  was  ambushed  and  killed  by 
Indians  in  this  war." 

Revolutionary  War 

At  the  time  of  the  Eevolutionary  War  Coventry  ranked  as  a 
considerable  town  in  the  colony,  with  a  Grand  List  of  £20,856  and 
a  population  of  2,032  whites  and  24  blacks.  Eight  nobly  did  she 
do  her  part  in  the  struggle  for  the  independence  of  the  nation. 

In  October  of  1774  the  Colonial  Assembly  of  Connecticut  re- 
quired the  selectmen  of  the  towns  to  provide  a  double  quantity  of 
powder,  balls  and  flint.  In  January,  1775,  the  same  Assembly 
ordered  the  entire  militia  to  muster  and  drill  once  a  week  during 
the  three  months  following.     Stirring  times  there  must  have  been 

27 


on  the  old  training  green  that  winter.  When  the  blow  at  Lexing- 
ton fell  on  April  19th,  1775,  "horse  expresses"  carried  the  news 
throughout  New  England.  This  is  Connecticut's  response,  written 
April  21st,  from  Lebanon,  the  residence  of  Governor  Trumbull,  to 
President  Hancock  of  the  Massachusetts  Provincial  Congress: 
"Every  preparation  is  making  to  support  your  province.  *  *  *  The 
ardor  of  our  people  is  such  that  they  can't  be  kept  back.  The  colonels 
are  to  forward  part  of  the  best  men  and  the  most  ready  as  fast  as 
possible,  the  remainder  to  be  ready  at  a  moment's  warning."  A  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  soldiers  are  recorded  as  going  from  Coventry, 


The  Hale  homestead,   residence  of  Deacon  Richard  Hale,  father  of  Nathan, 
now  owned  by  Mr.   P.   H.   Peterson. 


ranking  well  in  numbers  with  any  town  in  the  colony.  Twenty- 
seven  days  is  the  longest  recorded  period  of  service  at  that  time. 

In  the  long  struggle  which  followed  it  is  said  that  not  a  soldier 
had  to  be  drafted  in  Coventry  to  fill  the  quota  for  the  town.  Meas- 
ures were  adopted  by  the  town  to  provide  for  the  families  of  the 
absent  soldiers  and  bounties  were  generously  offered. 

Encouragement  by  the  citizens  of  the  town  in  the  way  of  cloth- 
ing for  the  soldiers  and  care  of  their  families  was  freely  given.  It 
is  said  that  Eichard  Hale,  father  of  Capt.  Nathan  Hale,  would 

28 


often  during  war  time  forbid  his  family  using  the  wool  from  the 
farm  for  themselves,  that  blankets  for  the  soldiers  might  be  made 
from  it.  The  passing  soldier  was  sure  of  food  and  shelter  from 
this  patriotic  house. 

The  assistant  commissary  for  the  State  was  Jeremiah  Eipley, 
who  lived  on  Eipley  Hill  in  Coventry.  In  May,  1777,  Capt.  Hunt- 
ington, of  Norwich,  was 
ordered  to  deliver  100 
barrels  of  Continental 
powder  to  Cap.  J.  Eip- 
ley, of  Coventry,  to  be 
carefully  kept  until  fur- 
ther orders. 

February  26,  1778, 
the  same  Jeremiah  Eip- 
ley was  directed  by  the 
General  Assembly  to 
send  under  a  guard  so 
soon  as  might  be,  two 
tons  of  fine  powder  in  his  hands  to  Ezekiel  Chevers,  Esq., 
commissary  of  artillery  at  Springfield.* 


The  Ripley  homestead,  erected  in  1792  by  Jere- 
miah Ripley,  Assistant  Commissary  in  the 
Revolution,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  A.  E. 
Peterson. 


Nathan  Hale 

Over  a  hundred  Coventry  men  are  recorded  in  the  lists  of  Eev- 
olutionary  soldiers.  We  honor  all  of  these  men  who  so  bravely  did 
their  part,  but  the  name  which  stands  out  pre-eminently  in  Cov- 
entry's part  in  the  Eevolution  is  that  of  Captain  Nathan  Hale. 

At  the  time  when  the  war  broke  out,  Nathan  Hale  was  teaching 
in  New  London.  The  news  of  the  alarm  at  Lexington  was  brought 
thither  by  hurrying  steed,  and  upon  its  receipt  a  town  meeting  at 
once  gathered.  Nathan  Hale  was  present  and  spoke  as  follows : 
"Let  us  march  immediately  and  never  lay  down  our  arms  until  we 
obtain  our  independence."  He  enrolled  as  a  volunteer.  The  next 
day  he  met  his  pupils,  "gave  them  earnest  counsel,  prayed  with 
them  and  shaking  each  by  the  hand,"  left. 

The  stay  at  Lexington  was  probably  not  long,  but  was  followed 
by  a  permanent  connection  with  the  army,  a  letter  to  his  father 


♦Colonial  Records  of  Connecticut. 


29 


saying  that  "a  sense  of  duty  urged  him  to  sacrifice  everything  for 
his  country." 

In  a  note  of  resignation  to  the  school  proprietors  of  his  New 
London  school,  he  says:  "Sohoolkeeping  is  a  business  of  which  I 
was  always  fond.  *  *  *  I  have  thought  much  of  never  quitting  it 
but  with  life,  but  at  present  there  seems  an  opportunity  for  more 
extended  public  service." 

Hale's  company  was  stationed  for  a  short  time  at  New  London, 
and  September  4th,  1775,  was  ordered  to  camp  near  Boston.    Jan- 


The  Nathan  Hale  Monument  and  Nathan  Hale  Cemetery. 

uary  1st,  1776,  he  was  commissioned  a  captain  by  Congress.  In 
April  he  went  by  way  of  Norwich  to  New  York.  But  little  is  re- 
corded of  Hale  between  this  time  and  September. 

At  this  juncture  it  was  of  utmost  importance  to  General  Wash- 
ington to  learn  if  possible  the  plans  of  the  British  troops  under 
Howe  on  Long  Island.  An  appeal  through  Knowlton  was  made 
to  the  officers  for  a  volunteer  for  this  service  of  spying.  Hale  had 
been  ill  and  was  late  in  coming  to  the  assembly  of  officers.  Knowl- 
ton's  request  had  previously  met  with  no  response,  but  when  Hale 
learned  of  the  need  he  met  it  with  the  words,  "I  will  undertake  it." 


30 


His  attitude  toward  the  work  which  he  undertook  is  perhaps 
best  shown  in  the  words  with  which  he  is  said  to  have  answered 
the  entreaties  of  friends  not  to  undertake  so  hazardous  and,  in  a 
way,  degrading  task:  "I  think  I  owe  to  my  country  the  accom- 
plishment of  an  object  so  important,  and  so  much  desired  by  the 
Commander  of  her  armies — and 
I  know  no  other  mode  of  obtain- 
ing the  information,  than  by  as- 
suming a  disguise,  and  passing 
into  the  enemy's  camp.  I  am 
fully  sensible  of  the  conse- 
quences of  discovery  and  capture 
in  such  a  situation.  But  for  a 
year  I  have  been  attached  to  the 
army,  and  have  not  rendered 
any  material  service,  while 
receiving  a  compensation  for 
which  I  make  no  return.  Yet  I 
am  not  influenced  by  the  expec- 
tation of  promotion  or  pecuniary 
reward.  I  wish  to  be  useful, 
and  every  kind  of  service  neces- 
sary for  the  public  good  becomes 
honorable  by  being  necessary.  If 
the  exigencies  of  my  country  de- 
mand a  peculiar  service,  its 
claims  to  the  performance  of 
that  service  are  imperious." 

The  expedition  was  under- 
taken by  him  with  the  fatal  re- 
sult which  we  all  know.  Sep- 
tember 22d,  1776,  Nathan  Hale 
was  hanged  as  a  spy.  His  last 
words  are  said  to  have  been: 
"My  only  regret  is  that  I  have 
but  one  life  to  lose  for  my  coun- 
try." 

The  depth  of  his  patriotism, 
his  unswerving  devotion  to  duty 


The  Hale  gravestone  in  Nathan 
Hale  Cemetery;  the  inscription 
reads:  "Durable  stone  preserve 
the  monumental  record.  Nathan 
Hale  Esq.  a  Capt.  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States  who  was 
born  June  6th  1755  and  received 
the  first  honors  of  Yale  College 
Sept  1773  resigned  his  life  a 
sacrifice  to  his  country's  liberty 
at  New  York  Sept.  22d  1776 
Etatis  22d.  Mr.  Richard  Hale 
Junr  born  Feb.  20th  1757  died 
of  a  consumption  in  the  Island 
of  St.  Eustalia  Feb  12th  17  93. 
aged  37  years  they  were  sons  of 
Deac  Richard  &  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Hale  of  Coventry.  Two  daugh- 
ters of  Mr.  Richard  Hale  Junr 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Hale  one  nam'd 
Mary  born  July  6th  1787  and 
died  Dec.  10th  1791,  the  other 
Polly  born  Jan  25th  1792  and 
died  Oct  2d  1793.  Their  bodies 
sleep    beneath    this    monument." 


31 


as  he  saw  it,  his  ardent  desire  to  serve  the  public  in  fullest  measure, 
his  amiable,  vivacious,  upright  Christian  life,  and  the  solemn 
grandeur  of  his  death  are  all  so  full  of  inspiration  to  us  in  these 
later  days  and  to  our  children  after  us  that  we  should  all  be  grateful 
for  the  memorials  which  have  been  erected  to  his  memory  and  which 
serve  to  bring  his  life  again  and  again  to  the  minds  of  men.  One 
stands  at  the  entrance  to  the  cemetery  which  bears  his  name.  The 
old  family  stone  in  the  same  yard  also  records  his  life  and  death. 
The  one  pictured  on  the  cover  is  in  New  York  City.  Two  are  in 
Hartford,  one  at  the  capitol  and  one  in  the  Ateneum  grounds. 
Still  another  is  at  Huntington,  L.  I.,  where  he  was  supposed  to 
have  been  captured. 

War  of  1812 

That  Coventry  shared  in  this  war  is  evidenced  by  the  stones 
in  the  cemeteries  of  the  town.  In  the  different  cemeteries  of  the 
North  Parish  seventeen  soldiers  in  this  war  are  buried. 

Civil  War 

During  this  war,  the  town  again  voted  premiums  and  bounties 
to  volunteers.  In  September,  1862,  the  war  committee  reported 
"That  forty-four  men  have  enlisted,  making  three  more  than 
enough  to  fill  the  quota."  It  was  also  voted :  "That  a  meeting  of 
the  citizens  of  this  town  be  held  at  this  house  next  Saturday  even- 
ing at  7  o'clock  *  *  *  to  speak  a  kind  word  to  our  volunteers,  who 
are  especially  invited  to  attend."  A  committee  was  appointed  to 
arrange  for  the  Saturday  evening  meeting. 

In  January,  1864,  record  is  made  of  the  successful  efforts  of 
the  war  committee  in  procuring  men  to  enlist  to  fill  the  quota  of  the 
town  under  the  Proclamation  of  the  President  calling  for  300,000 
men,  so  that  a  draft  will  not  be  necessary. 

Prominent  Coventry  Men  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 

The  list  of  Coventry  men  who  have  served  the  country  either 
at  home  or  abroad  is  one  of  which  to  be  proud. 

Confining  our  attention  to  the  eighteenth  century,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  characters  was  Lorenzo  Dow,  the  Methodist  ex- 

32 


hort'er.  He  was  born  in  Coventry,  Conn.,  October  16th,  1777.  His 
parents,  Humphrey  B.  and  Tabitha  (Parker)  Dow,  were  natives 
of  the  same  place.  A  sudden  illness  at  the  age  of  12  caused  him 
to  give  attention  to  religious  matters  and  led  to  his  becoming  a 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  denomination.  He  visited  Ireland  and 
England,  preaching  to  immense 
crowds..  In  the  United  States 
he  traveled  extensively,  holding 
camp  meetings  in  the  woods, 
preaching  in  halls  and  houses 
when  churches  were  not  open  to 
him.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  Peggy,  after  his  mar- 
riage, who  shared  his  vicissi- 
tudes. She  died  January  6th, 
1820,  and  is  buried  in  Hebron, 
Conn.  Lorenzo  died  in  George- 
town, D.  C,  February  2d,  1834. 
"Love  to  God  and  Man"  is  the 
sum  of  true  religion. 

A  view  of  Harlan  Page's 
birthplace  is  here  shown.  He 
was  born  in  1791.  He  organ- 
ized the  first  Sunday  school 
class  in  the  church  at  North 
Coventry.  He  became  a  convert 
to  the  Baptist  faith  and  became 
a  missionary  in  connection  with 
the  American  Tract  Society. 

Jesse  Boot,  whose  picture  forms  the  frontispiece,  was  a  native 
of  Coventry,  born  December  28th,  1736.  He  graduated  from 
Princeton  in  1756.  After  three  years  as  a  minister,  he  studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Hartford  County,  1763.  He  served 
as  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  Bevolution  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress  between  1778-83.  He  was  judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Court  for  many  years  and  chief  justice  of  Connecticut,  1796- 
1807.  At  the  age  of  82  he  opened  the  Constitutional  Convention 
in  1818. 


Lorenzo  Dow,  a  Methodist  preacher 
in  many  lands.  (From  engrav- 
ing in  "  Life,  Experience  and 
Travels  of  Lorenzo  Dow,"  by 
Rev.  John  Dowling,  D.  D.  New 
York,  1854.) 


33 


John  Strong,  who  was  born  in  Coventry  August  16th,  1738, 
appears  to  have  been  prompted  by  the  pioneer  instinct  of  the  time. 
He  moved  to  the  north  and  settled  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  where  he  became  eminent  as  a  legislator  and  local  judge.  In 
1791  he  sat  in  the  convention  that  ratified  the  United  States  Con- 
stitution. 

Nathan  Strong,  Jr.,  and  Joseph  Strong  were  born  in  Coventry, 

the  former,  October  16th, 
1748;  the  latter,  September 
21st,  1753,  sons  of  Nathan 
Strong,  pastor  in  North  Cov- 
entry. The  former  was  or- 
dained pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  Hartford  January 
5th,  1774,  was  a  chaplain  in 
the  Eevolutionary  army,  and 
one  of  the  chief  founders  of 
the  Connecticut  Missionary  So- 
ciety in  1798. 

Joseph  was  for  fifty-six  years 
pastor  of  the  First  Church  in 
Norwich.  Both  brothers  were 
Yale  graduates  and  authors  of 
many  ecclesiastical  works. 

Samuel  Huntington,  the 
third  governor  of  the  state  of 
Ohio,  was  another  native  of 
Coventry,  born  October  4th, 
1765.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Samuel  Huntington,  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  by  whom  he  was  adopted  and  edu- 
cated as  a  lawyer.  Previous  to  his  gubernatorial  term,  1809-10, 
he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Ohio  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1802,  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  also  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  state  senator  in  the  first  General  Assembly  of  1803. 
In  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  1812-13,  he  was  district 
paymaster,  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

Joseph  Huntington  is  better  known  to  Coventry's  history, 
although  not  a  native.     He  was  born  in  the  neighboring  town  of 


Home  of  Harlan  Page,  the  missionary, 

now  remodeled  and  occupied 

by  William  Sparne. 


34 


Windham,  May  5th,  1735,  and  was  a  brother  of  the  signer,  Samuel, 
mentioned  above.  He  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1762,  and  one 
year  later,  June  29th,  1763,  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  Coventry  and  remained  here  until  his  death  in  1794.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  under  his  tutelage  Nathan  Hale  was  pre- 
pared for  college. 

Joel  Jones  was  another  native  of  Coventry — born  October  25th, 
1795 — who  migrated  at  an  early  age.  He  became  a  lawyer  in 
Easton,  Pa.,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Lafayette  College.    In 


Jesse  Root  Homestead  on  Ripley  Hill,  elaborately  described  in  Austin  C. 

Dunham's  "Reminiscences"  in  Hartford  Daily  Courant  of  April 

6th,  now  owned  by  Ferdinand  Zechiel's  estate. 

1847-9  he  was  the  first  president  of  Girard  College  in  Philadelphia 
and  was  mayor  of  that  city  in  1849. 


Libraries  in  Coventry 

As  the  present  year  is  seeing  the  construction  of  a  beautiful 
library  building  in  our  town,  it  is  fitting  to  bring  this  historic 
sketch  to  a  close  in  tracing  the  development  of  our  libraries. 

Certain  old  books  give  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  library 
previous  to  1800  known  as  the  Social  Library. 

35 


The  next  library  in  Coventry  was  made  possible  by  the  legacy 
which  was  left  by  Mrs.  Sarah  Hale  of  $3,333.33  in  1803.  Mrs. 
Hale  was  the  wife  of  John  Hale,  a  brother  of  Nathan  Hale,  and 
her  will  carried  out  the  wishes  of  her  husband,  who  died  before 
she  did.  By  the  terms  of  the  will  the  library  was  especially  for 
the  use  of  ministers  or  those  who  wished  to  study  for  the  ministry 
or  for  missionary  work.  A  certain  percent  of  the  money  was  to 
form  a  cumulative  fund  and  has  now  amounted  to  over  $10,000. 
Another  part  each  year  is  for  the  purchase  of  books,  and  still  an- 
other is  for  the  aid  of  students  who  wish  to  be  ministers  or  mis- 
sionaries. The  library  at  present  is  at  the  Congregational  parson- 
age. It  is  known  as  the  Hale  Donation  Library.  A  portrait  of 
John  Hale  is  to  be  found  there. 


Library  occupied  by  the  South  Coventry  Library 
Association  since  1894. 

The  beginnings  of  the  present  small  library  in  South  Coventry 
would  certainly  seem  to  illustrate  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise 
to  those  who  cast  their  bread  upon  the  waters.  A  friendless  boy 
was  cared  for  and  clothed  by  some  kindly  women  here.  Years 
passed  and  the  poor  boy  became  a  wealthy  man.  Dr.  Cogswell,  the 
man  just  mentioned,  wrote  from  California  in  1879,  offering  to 
give  $500  toward  the  establishment  of  a  library  if  the  people  here 
would  raise  a  similar  sum. 

Due  to  this  stimulus,  the  South  Coventry  Library  Association 
was  organized  in  1880  and  books  were  loaned  on  a  small  payment 
per  year  until  very  recently,  when  it  was  made  free,  the  town  giving 
$100  annually  and  the  state  furnishing  each  year  the  same  amount 

36 


37 


in  books.  The  present  building,  pictured  here,  was  once  used  as  a 
postoffice,  but  was  purchased  by  the  Association  in  1894  for  use  as 
a  library.    The  library  contains  about  4000  volumes. 

The  Porter  Library  in  North  Coventry  was  started  in  1886  by 
Thomas  E.  Porter  and  the  widow  of  Dr.  John  Porter,  each  of  whom 
gave  $200.  This  library,  as  well  as  that  in  South  Coventry,  were 
beneficiaries  in  the  will  of  Wm.  B.  Kingsbury  to  the  extent  of  about 
$1,200  apiece. 

In  1911  the  late  Henry  F.  Dimock  left  $40,000  in  perpetuation 
of  the  memory  of  his  grandfather,  Eev.  Chauncey  Booth,  and  his 
father,  Timothy  Dimock,  M.  D.,  to  build  and  endow  a  library  to  be 
known  as  the  Booth  and  Dimock  Memorial  Library.  This  explains 
the  building  now  in  process  of  erection,  and  the  accompanying 
illustration  will  show  how  the  building  will  look  at  completion. 
Thus  generously  has  Coventry  been  aided  by  her  sons  and  friends. 

As  this  manuscript  is  going  to  press  the  citizens  of  Coventry  in 
town  meeting  assembled,  August  3d,  1912,  have  anticipated  the 
bicentennial  exercises  in  a  very  practical  manner  by  purchasing  the 
A.  O.  TJ.  W.  Hall  on  Wall  Street,  to  be  used  as  a  Town  Hall. 

Thus  in  briefest  outline  has  the  attempt  been  made  to  trace 
developments  from  the  beginnings  to  present  accomplishments. 
Many  changes  have  there  been,  and,  we  trust,  great  advance.  "Old- 
fashioned  manners  are  disappearing;  let  not  old-fashioned  virtues 
also  disappear.  Let  not  the  material  prosperity  produce  nor  accom- 
pany a  decrease  of  intellectual  or  moral  worth." 


Coventry's  oldest  married  couple,  Mr.  and  Mrs.   William  O.   Gardiner,  aged 
88  and  85   respectively.     They  have  been  married   61   years. 

38 


A    POEM    IN    COMMEMOBATION    OF    THE    TWO    HUN- 

DEEDTH  ANNIVEESABY   OF   THE   TOWN 

OF   COVENTEY 

Euth  Amelia  Higgins 

Long  ago  when  the  Indian  bold 

Stalked  about  over  meadow  and  hill, 
Or  skulked  in  thicket,  on  ledge, 

Near  the  course  of  river  or  rill; 
When  the  rivers  were  not  yet  harnessed, 

Nor  the  forest  monarchs  laid  low 
And  the  wind  which  came  from  the  northward 

But  rumors  vague  did  blow 
Of  the  white  man,  the  pale-face  conqueror, 

Who,  armed  with  his  weapons  of  fire, 
Was  taking  away  from  the  redman 

The  land  he  had  fought  to  acquire; 
When  as  yet  in  this  peaceful  valley 

No  sign  was  seen  of  the  foe 
Who  should  take  the  peace  of  the  Indian 

And  work  for  his  overthrow. 

To  this  land  where  lived  the  Mohegan 

The  dreaded  white  man  came 
At  last,  but  quiet  and  peaceful 

Eedeemed  somewhat  the  name. 
And  ventured  at  length  to  demand, 

As  mildly  as  might  be, 
The  sale  of  a  large  stretch  of  country 

Where  all  might  live  peacefully. 

Then  were  the  young  braves  angry 

And  swore  by  all  that  was  free 
That  the  white  man  should  die  like  a  traitor 

Before  such  ruin  should  be. 
But  Joshua,  the  brave  and  the  thoughtful, 

Sage  chief  of  the  council  of  war, 
Eestrained  their  impetuous  madness 

Before  they  were  carried  too  far ; 
Eebuked  their  unfriendly  spirit 

With  words  of  wisdom  and  calm; 
Eecommended  they  sell  to  the  white  man, 

Be  courteous  and  do  him  no  harm. 

39 


So  a  broad  stretch  of  hill  and  of  valley, 

With  rocks,  with  bad  soil  and  good, 
Was  gained  by  the  will  of  the  great  chief ; 

And  where  wigwams  had  stood 
Eose  the  simple  log-cabin  or  frame  house, 

The  home  of  the  pioneer, 
With  its  work,  its  pleasures,  its  frolics, 

The  center  of  health,  of  good  cheer. 

Just  two  hundred  years  have  passed  by  it 

Since  that  town  was  founded  there — 
The  town  with  the  lake  of  crystal, 

With  the  cool,  refreshing  air, 
With  hills  of  green  for  a  setting, 

With  land  to  work  and  till; 
With  the  cheerful  hum  of  the  workshop 

And  the  busy  whir  of  the  mill. 


Oak  tree  on  the  property  of  Mr.  Carl 
G.  Johnson,  grown  from  an  acorn 
from  Connecticut's  famous  Char- 
ter Oak. 


Two    centuries !    and    in    the 
meantime 
A  nation's  life  was  bought; 
And  then  with  brothers'  blood- 
In  unity  was  wrought. 
The  little  town  was  courageous, 
Always  doing  more  than  her 
share ; — ■ 
Nathan  Hale  and  lesser  heroes 
Firmly  stood  forth  to  do  and 
to  dare. 

Heroes  of  peace  are  not  want- 
ing— 
Justice    Eoot    and    Lorenzo 
Dow, 
Many  men  of  uprightness  and 
honor, 
The  pride  of  the  town,  then 
and  now. 

And   to-day,   as   we   look  o'er 
that  village, 
Named  for  the  one  'cross  the 
sea, 
It  seems  to  extend  hearty  wel- 
come 
To  you,  from  old  Coventry. 


40 


TOWN  OFFICERS,   1912. 

(1)  John  H.  Reynolds,  First  Selectman;  (2)  Arthur  B.  Porter,  Select- 
man; (3)  George  Rosebrooks,  Selectman;  (4)  Perkins  L.  Lathrop,  Repre- 
sentative; (5)  J.  Montgomery  White,  Representative;  (6)  John  S.  Champlin, 
Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer;  (7)  George  H.  Robertson,  Judge  of  Probate. 

41 


iteOOM 


OFFICIALS   FOR   THE   TOWN  FOR   OLD  HOME  WEEK. 

(1)  Dr.  William  L.  Higgins,  President;  (2)  Addison  Kingsbury,  Treas- 
urer; (3)  Charles  W.  Lee,  Vice-president;  (4)  Curtis  Dean,  Secretary  and 
Historian;   (5)  Miss  Ruth  A.  Higgins,  Poetess. 


42 


CHAIRMEN  OF  COMMITTEES  FOR  COVENTRY'S  BICENTENNIAL. 

(1)  Henry  F.  Parker,  Hospitality  Committee;  (2)  John  M.  Wood,  Decor- 
ating Committee;  (3)  De  Witt  Kingsbury,  Finance  Committee;  (4)  Mrs. 
Thomas  H.  Wood,  Relics  Committee;  (5)  Ernest  H.  Woodworth,  Parade 
Committee. 


43 


OFFICIAL    PROGRAM 

FOR  OLD  HOME  WEEK 
Sunday,  August  25th 

Order  of  Exercises,  Fiest  Congregational  Church,   South 
Coventry,  Conn. 

10.45  a.  m.  :     Organ  Voluntary. 
Doxology. 

Invocation,  Eev.  D.  F.  Dodd. 
Hymn  248,  "0  God  Our  Help  in  Ages  Past." 
Eesponsive  Beading. 
Solo,  E.  A.  Stores. 
Scripture    Lesson,   Luke  XII,    22-40,   Eev.    H.    M. 

Bartlett. 
Prayer. 
Offering. 
Anthem. 
Sermon,  Psalms  LXXVII  10-12,  "Life  in  the  Old 

Church,"  Eev.  Xestor  Light. 
Prayer,  Eev.  H.  M.  Bartlett. 
Hymn    1019,    "O    Where    Are    Kings    and   Empires 

Now?" 
Benediction. 

7.30  p.  m.  :     Service  of  Worship  and  Song. 
Soloist,  W.  A.  Tucker. 
Scripture  Lesson,  Isaiah  LI,  1-6. 

8.00  p.  M. :  "Congregationalism  in  Connecticut,"  illustrated  by 
numerous  stereopticon  pictures  of  persons,  places, 
churches  and  historic  landmarks,  Eev.  Sherrod 
Soule,  Superintendent  of  Missions  for  Connecti- 
cut. 

Monday,  August  26th 

North  Coventry  Congregational  Church. 

8.00p.m.:  A  Cantata,  "The  Haymakers,"  by  local  talent; 
Charles  W.  Lee,  Director. 

44 


Tuesday,  August  27th 

Bi-Centennial  Celebration  of  Fiest  Congregational  Church, 
South  Coventry,  Conn. 

9.00  a.  m.  :  Devotional  Services,  led  by  Rev.  George  W. 
Christie. 

9.30  a.  m.  :     Roll  Call  of  the  Church. 

Letters  from  absent  members. 
Letters  from  former  pastors. 

11.00  a.  m.  :     "The  First  Hundred  Years,"  Rev.  Nestor  Light. 

12.00  m.  :         Luncheon  by  the  Ladies  of  the  Church. 

2.00  p.  m.  :     Devotional  Services,  led  by  Rev.  D.  F.  Dodd. 

2.15  p.  m.  :     Historical  Papers : 

The  Meeting  Houses,  William  J.  Wilson,  Jr. 

The  Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.,  Miss  Hannah  B.  Potter. 

The    Sunday    School,    Miss    Gertrude   MaoFar- 
land. 

The  Work  of  the   Women  of  the   Church,   Miss 
Ruth  A.  Higgins. 

3.15  p.  m.  :     Bi-Centennial  Poem,  Forrest  Morgan. 

3.45  p.  m.  :     "The  Second  Hundred  Years,"  Rev.  Nestor  Light. 

7.00  p.  m.  :     Devotional  Services,  led  by  Rev.  H.  M.  Bartlett. 

7.15  p.  m.  :  Addresses:  Rev.  D.  F.  Dodd  representing  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South  Coventry;  Rev.  H.  M.  Bartlett 
representing  the  Second  Congregational  Church, 
North  Coventry;  Rev.  John  J.  Lockett  repre- 
senting the  Congregational  Church,  Andover. 

8.00  p.  m.  :     Address,  Rev.  Asher  Anderson,  D.  D.,  Secretary 
National  Council  of  Congregational  Churches. 
45 


Tuesday,  August  27th — Continued 

Committees  in  Charge  of  Church  Celebration. 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

Eev.  Nestor  Light  Wm.  L.  Higgins,  M.  D. 

Hon.  Addison  Kingsbury  Curtis  Dean,  Esq. 

Finance  Committee. 

Mr.  Louis  A.  Kingsbury  Mr.  John  M.  Wood 

Mr.  Eoyal  H.  Eose 

Relics  Committee. 

Mr.  De  Witt  Kingsbury  Miss  Hattie  Albro 

Mrs.  Van  E.  Bennett 

Decoration  Committee 
The  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor 

Entertainment  Committee  of  the  Ladies'  Association. 

Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Wood  Mrs.  Marvin  P.  Coleman 

Mrs.  Albert  E.  Harmon  Mrs.  Wm.  L.  Higgins 

Mrs.  Wm.  C.  Latimer  Mrs.  Theron  E.  Dunham 

Wednesday,  August  28th 

Exercises  at  North  Coventry. 

10.00  a.  m.  :     Music,  Hebron  Eife  and  Drum  Corps. 

10.30  a.  m.  :     Invocation,  Eev.  H.  E.  Hoisington. 
Music. 

Address  of  Welcome,  Eev.  H.  M.  Bartlett. 
Music. 

Historical  Address,  Eev.  Leon  H.  Austin. 
Music. 

12-2    p.m.:     Lunch   and    Social   Hour,   with  music  by   Fife   and 
Drum  Corps. 

2.00  p.  m.  :     Short  speeches  and  toasts  by  residents  of  the  town  and 
visiting  friends.     Charles  W.  Lee,  Toastmaster. 

46 


Thursday,  August  29th 

Town  Historical  Exercises  at  South  Coventry. 

9.00  a.  m.  :     Music,  Hebron  Fife  and  Drum  Corps. 

10.00  a.  m.  :     Invocation,  Eev.  Leon  H.  Austin. 
Music. 
Address  of  Welcome  by  the  Chairman,  Dr.  William 

L.  Higgins. 
Music. 
Eeading  of  letter  from  His  Excellency,  Governor 

Simeon  E.  Baldwin. 
Greetings  from  the   State,  by  His  Honor,  Lieut.- 

Governor  D.  L.  Blakeslee. 
Greetings    from    Coventr}',    England,    letter    from 

Mayor  W.  F.  Wyley. 
Greetings  from  Yale  University. 
Address  by  Prof.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Jr.,  of 

Union   College,   Schenectady,   N.  Y.,  and  Judge 

Carl  Poster,  of  Bridgeport. 

12-2  p.  m.  :       Social  hour,  with  music  by  Fife  and  Drum  Corps. 

2.00  p.  m.  :     Historical  Address,  Curtis  Dean. 

Original  Poem,  Miss  Ruth  A.  Higgins. 

Weber  Quartette. 

History  of  the  Manufacturing  Interests  of  Coventry, 

Hon.  Addison  Kingsbury. 
Short  sketches  of  some  of  .the  old  residents  of  the 

town,  Henry  F.  Parker. 
Addresses    from    citizens    of    the    town    and    from 

visitors. 
Singing,  "America,"  led  by  the  Town  Choir. 

8.00  p.  m.  :  Cantata,  "The  Haymakers,"  by  local  talent  in  the 
First  Congregational  Church;  Charles  W.  Lee, 
Director. 

Friday,  August  30th 

9.00  a.  m.  :  Music  by  the  Baltic  Brass  Band,  the  Hebron  Fife 
and  Drum  Corps,  and  the  Nathan  Hale  Fife  and 
Drum  Corps. 

11.00  a.  m.  :     Parade. 

2.00  p.  m.  :     Ball  game  and  sports  of  various  kinds. 

8.00  p.  m.  :     Fireworks. 

47 


Saturday,  August  31st 

Family  Keunions,  Picnics,  and  Visits  to  Histoeic  Places. 

For  the  convenience  of  the  visitor  some  of  the  places  of  historic 
interest  are  listed  below: 


Nathan  Hale  Cemetery:  Nathan 
Hale   Monument. 

Site  of  old  grist  mill,  and  old  mill- 
stone. 

Site  of  First  Congregational  Church. 

Site  of  the  old  Academy. 

Old   training  ground. 

Old  Methodist  Church,  later  Cath- 
olic Church. 

Royal   Manning  Tavern. 

Manning  Store. 

Perkins  Rose's  Store. 

Old  Brick  Schoolhouse. 

Site  of  Samuel  Burchard's  house, 
probably   the  first  house. 

Former  home  of  Rev.  Chauncey 
Booth. 


Lorenzo  Dow's  birthplace. 

Pomeroy  Tavern. 

Mason's   Cotton  Mill. 

John  Boynton's  Machine  Shop. 

Old  Foundry. 

Old  Cotton  Mill. 

Site  of  the  Strong  homestead,  prob- 
able birthplace  of  Nathan  Hale's 
mother. 

Jesse   Root's   house. 

Jeremiah  Ripley's  house. 

Old  Toll  G-ate. 

Hale  Homestead. 

Offspring  of  Charter  Oak. 

Harlan  Page  house. 

Crowley  house,  where  first  Catholic 
services  were  held. 

Old  tavern  near  Mansfield  Depot, 
Where   Washington   once   stopped. 


Collections  of  material  of  historic  interest  will  be  on  exhibition 
in  the  basement  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  South  Coventry  and 
in  the  Chapel  at  North  Coventry. 


The  oldest  male  inhabitant,  Mr. 
Henry  Case,  born  March  20, 
1823,  and  so  89  years  old. 


The  oldest  female  inhabitant,  Mrs. 
Fanny  Brewster,  born  March 
20,  1819,  and  so  93  years  old. 


OFFICEES  AND  COMMITTEES  TO  AEEANGE  PLANS 

FOE  "OLD  HOME  WEEK"  IN  COVENTEY, 

AUGUST  25th  TO  31st,  1912 

Officers  and  Executive  Committee 

President,  William  L.  Higgins 
Vice-president,  Charles  W.  Lee 
Secretary,  Curtis  Dean 
Treasurer,  Addison  Kingsbury 

Program  Committee 

John  H.  Beynolds,  Chairman  Charles  E.  Hall 

Louis  A.  Kingsbury  Mrs.  John  M.  Wood 

Mrs.  S.  Noble  Loomis 

Music  Committee 

Charles  W.  Lee,  Chairman  Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Armstrong 

Mbs.  Lucy  Haven  John  M.  Wood 

Duncan  F.  Dodd 

Parade  Committee 

Ernest  H.  Wood  worth,  Chairman        Gilbert  Storrs 
Henry  C.  Walker  Louis  M.  Phillips 

William  A.  Wolfe 

Placarding  Committee 

Henry  F.  Parker,  Chairman  John  S.  Champlin 

Arthur  B.  Porter  Patrick  O'Brien 

John  E.  Kingsbury 

Hospitality  Committee 

Henry  F.  Parker,  Chairman  Mrs.  Frank  J.  Tracy 

Mrs.  Louis  A.  Kingsbury  Mrs.  Edwin  S.  LeDoyt 

Mrs.  Wm.  B.  Hawkins  Mrs.  August  Hillman 

Alexander  H.  Pomeroy  Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Wood 

Mrs.  Wm.  A.  Tracy  Miss  Edna  Newell 

Mrs.  Charles  E.  Hall  Mrs.  Benj.  Taylor 

Decorating  Committee 

John  M.  Wood,  Chairman  Brigham  0.  Spaulding 

Isaac  P.  Fiske  William  L.  Wellwood 

William  H.  Armstrong 

49 


Relics  Committee 

Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Wood,  Chairman         Miss  Hattie  Albro 
Mes.  Van  E.  Bennett  Mrs.  E.  S.  Slater 

Mrs.  Oliver  C.  Hall 

Amusement  Committee 

George  H.  Eobertson,  Chairman  John  P.  Curlet 

Walter  S.  Haven  Martin  H.  Clark 

Everett  Lathrop 

Historian 
Curtis  Dean 

Poetess 
Miss  Kuth  A.  Higgins 


Finance  Committee 


DeWitt  Kingsbury,  Chairman 
Miss  Grace  Bradbury 
George  L.  Eosebrooks 
Mrs.  George  D.  Swift 
Jeremiah  Young 
Mrs.  Wm.  A.  Wright 
Frederick  J.  Snyder 
Miss  Julia  White 
Mrs.  George  H.  Eobertson 
Miss  Helen  Potter 


Oliver  C.  Hall 
Miss  Mary  Chase 
Wallace  McKnight 
Miss  Waity  Brown 
Frank  1ST.  Turner 
Mrs.  John  N.  Wallbridge 
Perkins  L.  Lathrop 
H.  Bertram  Pomeroy 
William  F.  Pitkin 
Mrs.  Eobert  Pitkin 


276  1    008 


50 


University  of 
Connecticut 

+JW&M    Lit>raries 


